Muhlenberg Grad Earns Medical Research Award Briefly

December 13, 1985|The Morning Call

Dr. Herbert L. Needleman, director of the behavioral sciences division at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh and a 1948 graduate of Muhlenberg College, received the Sarah L. Poiley Memorial Award yesterday at the New York Academy of Sciences' 168th annual meeting.

Needleman was awarded a certificate of citation, a medal and $500 for his landmark studies on the developmental effects of low levels of lead on children. He was the first to report that chronic, low-level lead exposure in children was associated with a wide range of deficits in neuropsychological functioning.

By studying the intelligence levels of first-grade children and measuring the amount of lead in their baby teeth, Needleman discovered lower IQs, speech processing and attention spanamong those with higher lead levels.

He and his family resided in Allentown for about 8 years, while Needleman attended Muhlenberg and the University of Pennsylvania, where he received his medical degree in 1952. At Muhlenberg, he was editor of the college weekly newspaper and president of the pre-medical society.